Colt fell silent. He didn’t know what to say. Of course, that was the plan. He knew Jake might be there, but how could he leave now? With Anna here. He couldn’t leave her again.
Colonel Jenkins left Colt standing in the silence to ponder his thoughts. No more than fifteen seconds had passed before there was a knock on the door.
“Mr. Maddox,” the man said. But Colt didn’t hear. His voice was muffled as Colt remained dazed. “Mr. Maddox.” He leaned into his field of vision.
Colt shook out of his trance and said, “Yes?”
“The vice president wanted me to come and find you.”
“Okay.”
“He wanted me to tell you, sir. It’s your brother.”
“Jake?!” His voice went up. “Yes! What about him?”
“He’s safe. At a university. In Cincinnati.”
“Cincinnati?”
“Yes, sir. Would you like to contact him?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then follow me.”
Colt walked out of the room, then immediately returned. “Dylan, look after your brother. “You’re in charge.”
“Ah, man,” Wesley reeled.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes. I have to go talk with your Uncle Jake.”
Now it was Dylan who was unhappy. “Dylan, you hear me?” Colt made sure Dylan was paying attention.
“Argh, yes,” he sounded annoyed.
Colt nodded then left, but as he followed the man, he heard Dylan, say, “When are we going to get out this place?”
Which left Colt to ponder his son’s hatred for the underground complex. If they did stay, what would Colt tell them? Would they be forced to live underground forever? At least until the US government figured out a way to defeat the infected or find a cure. How long could Colt keep this secret? If they found out about the scientists studying Anna like an animal how would they react?
Deep down, he knew. Life existed on the outside of these protected walls of rock. But he’d have to fight with himself to understand. Or be persuaded.
28
“It’s just through here,” the man stepped aside and allowed Colt to enter.
The room looked similar to the one in which he’d met the vice president for the first time. An oversized table sat in the center with seats pushed in tight. He confused the room at first for that very same room, but there was a contraption pushed against the back wall—a large rectangular box sitting atop a desk. A man sat beside the desk, twisting the knobs and holding a headset against one ear. It didn’t take long for him to notice Colt.
He rushed over and said, “Ah, Mr. Maddox. My name is Cecil. The vice president told me you were trying to reach your brother. He knew I was in contact with a few members of our government, but didn’t know I was also in contact with a university in Ohio. The University of Cincinnati. I’ve been told your brother is there. Would you like to make contact?”
Elated, Colt said. “Yes! Please!”
“Great. Follow me.”
Colt dragged an extra chair from the table beside Cecil, then turned his attention to the radio.
“This thing is huge.” Colt’s eyes danced around the contraption.
Cecil leaned over the desk and rotated different switches until the static ceased and the line went clear. He glanced over his shoulder at Colt and asked if he was ready. He scooted forward on his chair and nodded.
“Good. Press the button down here to speak,” Cecil said. “I’ll hail them first to get their attention. Once your brother comes on, I’ll give you some privacy, sound good?”
Again, Colt nodded in agreement. “Bengal Tiger, this is the Falcon, you copy over?”
It didn’t take more than one second for them to respond on the other end. “Loud and clear, Falcon, go ahead, over.”
“I have a special guest with me today. Can you find the Delta for us?”
Colt wondered why Cecil was using such cryptic language, but didn’t deem it necessary to probe.
“Copy that, Falcon. I’ll get him now.”
“Roger,” Cecil said, then stood from his chair.
Colt looked up to him from his seated position, smiled, and said, “Thank you.”
“You bet. Just go ahead and leave whenever you’re finished here.” Cecil turned and left.
“Colt! Colt! Is that you, are you really there?” Jake said.
“Yes, Jacob, it’s me.”
“Oh, thank God. I . . . I didn’t know if you and the boys made it.”
“By the skin of our teeth, little brother. But yes, we made it.”
“So you’re in the complex right now?”
“Yeah, we arrived this morning.”
“What’s it like?”
Instinctively, Colt looked around the room, at the rocky walls. “Dark,” was the only thing he could think to say.
Laughter burst over the speaker. “That’s it? Dark?”
But Colt didn’t elaborate on the interior, instead he cut to the point. “Jacob, I need to tell you something. Something severe.”
“I imagine it’s not as intense as the things I’ve seen.”
“Maybe not. But it’s personal.”
“Personal? What do you mean?”
“Anna. She’s . . . she’s alive.”
Jake delayed for a second, then said. “Wait, what?”
“She’s here. In a lab. They’re studying her.”
“How? I mean, I thought you said she . . .” Jake trailed off.
“I did. I thought she’d . . .” Now it was Colt who couldn’t find the words. Then he continued. “The vice president said they found her wandering alone in the mountains not far from here.”
“Holy shit, Colt, that is severe. What are you going to do?”
“What can I do?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I think we need to stay with her.”
Silence lingered. “I don’t want to sound insensitive, Colt, but are you sure that’s a good idea?” Colt stayed silent. And Jake continued, “What about the boys, do they know?”
“No.”
“Are you planning on telling them?”
“No.”
“Then there’s no way you can stay.”
“Why not?” Colt didn’t fully understand his brother’s insistence.
Then Jake continued, “I imagine that place isn’t as big as a real city.”
“Well, no, not that I’ve seen.”
“Then they will find out eventually, either by some idiot shooting his mouth off, or worse, they’ll stumble upon her body themselves. Of course, the latter would be far worse. You need to get out. Get here, help me, help us find a cure for this epidemic. That’s the best way you can help Anna. There’s nothing else you can do for her there.”
Colt knew his brother spoke truth about everything. But the idea of leaving stung.
“Have you heard anything from the president?” Colt changed the subject.
“My contact Emily is with him now.”
“What’s happened? Have they made any breakthroughs?”
More silence.
“Jacob? Did I lose you? You there?”
“I’m here, Colt.”
“Did you hear me?”
“I did. I just don’t know how much we want to say over the radio in case . . .”
“In case, what?” Colt said.
“Someone is listening.”
“Who would be listening?” Colt asked.
“The enemy.”
Colt gulped. Then got quiet. “Are you serious, they can do that?”
“We don’t know yet, but . . . we can’t be too careful.”
“So that’s what you’ve discovered? They may be listening?”
“No. There’s more.”
“How much more.”
“A lot.” Again, Jake remained vague.
“That doesn’t help me, I need answers. And I expected my own brother to be more frank with me.”
“Sorry, Colt. I will onc
e we’re together again, I swear it. That’s why it’s imperative you leave the complex. Get to the president.”
“That’s your plan, then?”
“It is.”
“How are you going to manage that? Do you have a chopper?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“You remember when we were kids?”
“Of course,” Colt said.
“The river.”
“Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.”
“That’s going to be risky, Jacob.”
“I know, but it’s the best plan we have.”
Colt sighed. “Just be careful.”
“Always the older brother,” Jake teased. “Trying to parent me, like you have our entire lives.”
“That’s because I care about you.”
“And I you, Colt. So get your ass out here so we can figure this out together.”
Colt dropped his head. He knew what had to be done. He had to leave Anna again. Help Jake and find the cure. “Okay, Jacob, you win. We’ll be on the first chopper out. I think it’s leaving in an hour.”
Jake clapped and cheered on the other end. “Damn right. I knew you’d come to your senses.”
“I just need to see her one last time, to say goodbye.”
“I get that, Colt. Do you what you have to do, but don’t miss that chopper, you hear me?”
“Loud and clear, little brother. Until we meet again.”
“It’s damn good to hear your voice again, Colt. I’ll see you soon.”
“Yes, you will. That’s a guarantee.”
“Alright, brother, over and out.”
29
As Colt wandered through the maze of the complex, making his way to the lab where Anna was being held, he stumbled upon Colonel Jenkins.
“Good to see you again, Colt. Did the boys get squared away?”
“They did.”
“Excellent. The vice president wanted me to find you.”
“What for?” Colt said.
“He wanted me to let you know the helicopter will be taking off in twenty minutes.”
“Twenty minutes?!” Colt raised his voice, but hadn’t meant to.
“That’s right. Is there a problem?”
“No . . . I uh, it’s just, I thought we’d have a little more time, that’s all.”
“Oh, well, I can see if we can adjust our departure with the vice president.”
“No. Don’t bother. We’ll be ready.”
“Roger that. Just make your way back to the entrance of the complex. Can you remember how to get back there?”
“Uh.” Colt looked around and pointed in the wrong direction. Clearly, he had no idea.
Colonel Jenkins spun Colt around while he kept his arm raised and pointed him in the right direction. “That way.”
“Ah, got it. Speaking of directions, can you steer me toward the lab? You know, where the scientists are working on the infected woman?”
“I’m surprised you want to see another one. After all you’ve been through.”
Clearly, Colonel Jenkins hadn’t been briefed that the infected woman was indeed Colt’s wife. “Yeah, well. You know.” Colt wasn’t about to tell him. Wasn’t about to open the emotional rollercoaster that was sure to follow.
“Tell you what, how ‘bout I bring you there myself.”
“That would help. And save me some time.” Colt smiled.
“You were close, it’s just around the bend.”
Colonel Jenkins led Colt ahead. Colt tried to fill the silence with small talk. “How long will the flight to Mount Weather take?” Colt asked.
“Well we won’t be able to fly directly to Virginia. The chopper only has a about a 600-mile range. We’ll have to refuel somewhere around Kansas City.”
“Will that be possible? In the current state of things?”
“Hopefully.”
Hopefully? That doesn’t sound promising.
“Ah, here we are,” Colonel Jenkins said.
“Thank you, sir.”
“No problem. Remember. We’re in the air in about fifteen.”
“Yes, sir.”
Colt entered the observation room. Two of the scientists remained, both watching Dr. Jones, who was inside the lab with Anna. Colt stalled by the door, unwilling to interrupt in case they were doing something important. It wasn’t until Gretchen saw him standing there that he made his presence known.
“I’m sorry, I . . . I just wanted to say goodbye.”
Gretchen stood tall and said, “No need to apologize. Please come in.”
Colt pushed into the center of the room and peered through the glass. He was surprised when Gretchen pushed the button to speak. “Dr. Jones, Mr. Maddox is here. He will be leaving the complex soon and would like to say goodbye.”
Colt thanked Gretchen with a smile and a nod. Dr. Jones spoke over the speaker. “Absolutely, take your time.”
As Dr. Jones walked out of the room, Gretchen instructed Colt, “If you wish to speak to her, press this button here.” Gretchen pointed to a circular red button on the switchboard, then lifted her belongings and brushed Colt on his shoulder with her hand as she passed and offered a sympathetic smile.
Anna lay still and was breathing normally again. Colt didn’t want to send her into a fit, so he refrained from speaking over the microphone, but stepped to the glass getting as close as he could. “Anna, babe. I’m so sorry.” His lip quivered, and tears welled in his eyes. “I talked to Jake. I’m . . . I’m going to meet him in Virginia. That means I need to leave you, but you’re in good hands. The scientists here will take good care of you.” He spoke to her like she could hear him. She couldn’t, but Colt needed to get this off his chest. For himself, if nobody else. “Jake and I will find a cure. I promise you that, and when we do, we’ll come back, and I will make damn certain the doctors administer the cure with precision and accuracy. You will be you again, I promise. You’ll come back to me, and our family will be whole. We’ll be back to normal.” Tears streamed down both cheeks now, and Colt wiped them away. He glanced to his watch. “It’s time for me to go now, babe. I’ll be back, I promise. I’ll see you soon. Keep fighting. Keep fighting for me. And for the boys.”
Colt spun away from the glass before he lost it completely. Again, he needed to face his sons. He needed to seem strong in their delicate state.
As Colt walked, he hesitated in the hallway. From outside the door, he could hear his sons fighting. They were at each other’s throats, which brought a smile to Colt’s face. He didn’t know why, but in that moment, he felt a sense of regularity return. He’d heard them scuffle for years. The sound was music to his ears, and he didn’t want to interrupt, but knew he had to. To let his sons know they’d be leaving on the first chopper out of there.
“Boys!” Colt said, and both stopped fighting immediately, facing their father when he entered the room. Colt’s harsh tone changed as he smiled. For the first time in three days, Colt felt relief. Like life was going to be okay. Like everything would work out in the end. He didn’t know why, or where the feeling came from, but it lived inside of him. “Get your stuff together. We’re going to go see your Uncle Jake.”
“Oh, thank God,” Dylan said. “I can’t stay here any longer. It’s so claustrophobic in here.”
Colt had empathy. “I feel you there, kid. This place, is . . . well, it’s not home is it?”
Wesley stepped near the wall where a travel game of battleship lay. “Can I bring this with?” Wesley said, hoping they’d get to play. “Can I? Can I?”
“Oh, buddy, I don’t know when we’d . . .” Wesley’s head dropped. This was no time to fight this battle. If the game made Wesley feel normal, why not let him take it? “You know, sure, go ahead and take it.”
“Really? Can I?”
“Sure, bud.”
He ripped the game from the shelf and joined Dylan by his father’s side. “You boys ready for another helicopter ride? You ready to
go see Uncle Jake?” Colt fluffed Wesley’s hair.
“Whatever gets me out of here,” Dylan said with a huff.
“That’s the spirit!” Colt playfully slapped his son on the shoulder before leaving the room.
At the entrance, Colonel Jenkins, the vice president, Bald, and one other were waiting. “There you are. This is Mark Joyner. The president’s chief of staff, he’ll be joining us on the chopper.” The vice president nodded to the other man.
Colt nodded, but let the vice president continue.
“You boys ready for another helicopter ride? I’ve only heard stories of how good a pilot, Colonel Jenkins was back in the day.”
“We can attest to that,” Colt said, smiling as they approached.
“Well then, let’s go!” he said.
The men walked through the half-moon entrance. Once the main door was opened, natural light poured in, guiding their path outside. As they rounded a subtle turn, the road that led out of the complex sloped downward. Colt hadn’t noticed it before, but the road led to another gate—one that needed to be opened so vehicles leading out of the complex could access the main road. He stopped moving at the sight of infected plastered against the fence.
“Wait!” Colt warned.
The vice president and the rest of the men spun around. “What is it, Mr. Maddox?” the vice president said.
“The infected. They’re . . . they’re, behind the fence.”
All looked to the end of the road.
“What, them?” Colonel Jenkins said. “They’ve been there for three days. No need to worry.”
It was true. They were far off, maybe two hundred yards or so. And the fence they were standing behind stood nearly twenty feet high with barbed wire wrapped around the top, much like the fence that parelled the street on both sides.
“The helipad is just over there.” Colonel Jenkins pointed to his left.
Every man followed his gaze toward the chopper. It was sitting there, waiting to be lifted into the air. To carry its cargo far away.
But before any man could take another step, the unmistakable sound of a car horn echoed through the canyon.
“What the hell is that?” Colonel Jenkins said.
Everyone’s attention shifted to the madman speeding through the mass of infected just beyond the closed gate.
Uncivil War: Infected Page 14